Antiseptics, applied to living tissue to prevent the growth of microorganisms, and disinfectants, applied to inanimate objects for the same purpose, are in widespread use in treating or preventing local infections and in controlling the spread of disease. Of the variety of antimicrobial substances available, iodine and iodophors are perhaps the most widely used in a clinical or medical environment. As a class, the iodophors are a combination or complex of iodine with a solubilizing agent or carrier that liberates free iodine in solution. One of the most commonly used iodophors is a complex of iodine with polyvinylpyrrolidone (1-ethenyl-2-pyrrolididone homopolymer compound), available in numerous forms and known generally as Povidone-Iodine, U.S.P.; see The Merck Index, 10th Edition, monograph 7595 (1983). The iodophors are said to produce less pain than do preparations of elemental iodine when applied to wounds and abrasions.
Povidone-iodine commercial products are in pharmaceutical presentations such as aerosol sprays, antiseptic gels, ointments, solutions for mouthwash, gargle or douches, shampoos, scrubs and, notably, surgical scrubs. The prominent U.S. supplier is the Purdue Frederick Company whose products are sold under the Betadine.RTM. trademark. Formulations may be bacteriostatic or microbiocidal, killing gram negative and gram positive bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoa and yeasts.
Hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities routinely use povidone-iodine formulations in surgical and other procedures and for patient care. It is inevitable that sheets, gowns, drapes, and other textile products and constructions, described here and known in the trade as linen, when used in medical environments will become soiled with povidone-iodine complex stains. These stains, containing not only iodine, but a polymeric complexing agent, are difficult to remove by the usual laundering techniques and currently available detergent products.
I have devised a way to remove povidone-iodine complex-type stains from textiles soiled with such stains by employing compositions containing as the active ingredient a member selected from the group consisting of an N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidone, gamma butyrolactone, 2-ethyl-1, 3-hexanediol and 4-methyl-1, 3-dioxolane-2-one. N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidone, specifically N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (as defined in more detail below) is a known compound and has been described in the patent literature as an ingredient with kaolin for removing hardened, baked-on or carbonized food debris from metal cookware (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,065); as a paint remover or varnish remover when mixed with blends of alkyl naphthalenes an alkyl benzenes (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,810); and in combination with surfactants as a deoxidizer and detergent cleaner to remove oil and grease (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,069 and 4,407,741). These prior patents rely upon the organic solvent properties of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone when formulated for aggressive cleaning, degreasing and even paint-removing uses. To my knowledge, gamma butyrolactone, 2-ethyl-1, 3-hexanediol, 4-methyl-1, 3-dioxolane-2-one, or N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone-containing compositions have not been used in stain-removing environments for textile fibers of the type typically used for fabricating clothing and not for removing stains from garments and other textiles stained by organic bound iodine.